The invention refers to a shortening hook for strands of round link chain, having a safety body or catch arranged near the mouth of the hook. The safety body can be manually moved from a closed position in the area near the mouth of the hook to an open position. This movement is transverse to the trajectory motion of the hook and against the tension of a reset spring. The safety body prevents mounted chain links from coming off the hook.
A shortening hook is known that has a safety body that may be moved from the mouth or opening of the hook against the pressure of a reset spring, from the side of the hook shaft which faces away from the hook mouth. The chain link can be unhooked once the hook mouth is open after the safety body is moved. In practice, it is very difficult to separate the shortening hook from the round link chain, since the safety mechanism must be pulled out against the tension of the reset spring, the chain must be simultaneously held and the chain unhooked. It is very difficult to simultaneously hold the hook and detach the safety mechanism with one hand, while the other hand unhooks the chain strand.
The task of the invention is to form a shortening hook with a safety mechanism that simplifies this disassembly.
The task of the invention is solved with a shortening hook with a safety body arranged in the mouth of the hook. The safety body is moveable by hand against the tension of a reset spring from a closed position in the area of the mouth of the hook to an open position. This movement is transverse to the trajectory motion of the hook. The safety body is operable by the push of a finger and operable from the mouth side of the hook. An operating link projects into the mouth of the hook and is arranged at the end section of the safety body. This operating link can be pressed back when the hook shaft takes hold so that the safety body frees up the mouth area.
The connection area of the fishplate-like operating link to the safety body is formed so that, when inserting the chain link, the chain link pushes the safety body back against the tension of the reset spring, so that the chain link slips into the mouth of the hook. The safety body springs back again into the safety position once the link is in place on the hook.
When a person grasps the hook in the area of the hook shaft, the safety body can be pushed with a finger into its open position with the push of a finger, so that the hook mouth is open for removing a chain link with the other hand.